Legislation to establish a DNA database was passed by the Oireachtas last week and is due to be signed by the president.
The Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Bill 2013 will allow for the establishment of a DNA database which will allow gardaí to link crimes and to identify suspects in relation to unsolved crimes, while enabling them to better target their investigations and make better use of resources.
Such database technology in the forensics field also allows for the searching, subject to strict conditions, of other national DNA databases.
After the Bill was passed by the Seanad, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said it was "a momentous day" as Ireland joined the ranks of countries "that exploit to the maximum the potential of DNA to assist with the investigation and prosecution of crime".